Two Countries Drop Objections to Windows 10 Telemetry

Changes to Windows 10 telemetry and documentation with version 1703 have addressed privacy concerns raised by the French and Swiss governments. The decisions suggest that companies adopting Windows 10 may be able to comply with current European Union (EU) privacy directives. However, more changes may be needed to address the EU’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), which goes into effect in May 2018.

Windows 10 Version 1703 Telemetry

Telemetry information is used by Microsoft to improve its products and can affect how and when new versions (feature updates) and monthly quality updates are delivered to users’ devices. Privacy-related changes in Windows 10 version 1703 include new descriptions for user-controllable privacy settings, an updated Microsoft Privacy Statement, and more disclosure about the levels of telemetry data collected. In version 1703, privacy configuration settings are grouped into categories such as Location or Speech Recognition, and next to each privacy setting is a new short description of the effect of each configuration setting. A link to more information is also provided. After installation, a user can change privacy settings from the Start menu by selecting Settings and Privacy and making changes in the Privacy dialog box.